Following on from my article "Addiction -
the disease concept", I would also like to state the case for
addiction being a genetic predisposition, not just a problem caused by
social environment. This is another concept that creates a fair amount of
controversy.

Without getting into the scientific technobabble regarding this subject,
let's consider a several groups of people... the Australian Aboriginal,
the Native American and the New Zealand Maori -prior to the European
invasion.

These three groups share many things in common. They all lived in harmony
with their environment, they had strong social networks, they were proud
people, they are all very creative and artistic.

It is often stated that it was the arrival of the European that decimated
these peoples. It wasn't so much the arrival that caused the mass
destruction, but what accompanied it. Guns, prejudice, disease......and
alcohol. While the open slaughter of these peoples does not occur today as
it did previously, and tolerance to introduced communicable disease has
risen, alcohol is still the major factor in the steady loss of these
cultures.

And it isn't just the direct effects of alcohol on the body. I remember
speaking with an Aboriginal elder about the challenges faced by their
youth in my area. I was told they don't listen to the elders any more
because so many of them have alcohol problems. The ancient tradition of
respect for the elders within this culture is crumbling.

Why is it that these groups tend to have greater problems with alcohol? It
isn't anything to do with intelligence, nor ability to socialise or
express .... they are masters of these things. The simple fact is that
these groups, like myself, have little tolerance for specific substances;
and it is an inherited trait, just the same as the colour of our skin and
eyes.

In Europeans, I have noticed a pattern. If one or both parents had drug
problems, it was much more likely that the children would as well. Okay,
so we could state that environment is the main factor. But so many times I
spoke with addicts whose parents did not abuse substances. But digging
back a bit further, one or more of their grandparents did. Or perhaps, in
the case of adopted persons, no-one in the entire foster family was a drug
abuser -but they later discovered that their natural parent was.

I have found it surprisingly common for addiction to skip generations,
especially in Europeans. But it seems that if two generations are
"addict free", then the condition seems to disappear. I am sure
there are exceptions to that rule, but this has been my experience.

When I was growing up my father warned me to be careful with alcohol. I
didn't listen as I didn't understand the genetic factors. I also didn't
care at the time.

So please, if you are a parent with a substance addiction (present or
past), or your parents were people with drug problems - educate your
children. Impress upon them that alcohol and drug usage for them is like
playing Russian Roulette, and describe to them that while they may have
Grandad's eyes, they may be also carrying a dangerous hidden legacy......

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